‘So?’
‘So I know I should keep away from you, but I just get this sense of unfinished business, that if we did make love the sheets would go up in flames.’
She stared into his intent hazel eyes, unable to look away. So he felt it too, then, the frisson of sexual excitement every time they touched. She dropped the T-shirts into the cart and folded her arms across her chest.
‘So what?’
He smiled slowly. Of course, close up, the laughter lines around his eyes only made him more attractive. ‘So how about we start again? Take it slow, see what happens along the way.’
‘You’re
courting
me now?’
‘Could you just be serious for one second?’
She bit her lip. ‘I don’t know.’
He reached forward to touch the corner of her mouth. ‘If we’re going to travel together with this “thing” between us, why not make it a good thing rather than a problem?’
‘Because you don’t mean that.’ She tried to laugh. ‘It’s just a line to get what you want and then move on.’
He frowned and withdrew his hand. ‘Hey, you were the one pursuing me, remember?’
Anger threaded through her confusion and arousal. ‘Because I knew sex would get you panting after me. And it worked, didn’t it? Thanks for reminding me, Saint Dakota.’
‘But it’s not just about sex . . .’
She cut through his denial, stepped away from him. ‘Of course it is.’
‘But dammit, I
like
you, Robyn.’
She pushed past him with the cart and headed for the jeans section. God, he’d made her want to cry again. How long was it since someone had said they liked her without wanting something in return? She stared at the ranks of blue denim, grabbed the first pair of size fours she saw.
‘Robyn . . .’
She swung around to stare at Dakota. He leant against the corner of the display, one hand in his pocket, his eyes full of concern – for her. It was if he saw through her bravado to the scared mixed-up girl at her center.
‘It’s OK if you don’t agree with me. I just thought this was a great way for us to meet halfway.’ He shrugged and handed her a wad of folded bills. ‘Obviously I’m an idiot. I’ll meet you at the front of the store when you’re ready, OK? No rush.’
She watched him walk away, her whole body trembling. Was he right? Was it possible for them to start again, to pretend to have the kind of relationship she’d once dreamt about? Robyn drew in a shaky breath. The trouble was, she wasn’t sure if she was capable of dealing with a hot sexy guy who wanted her. Her therapist always said she’d gotten so used to being in abusive relationships that she unconsciously looked for the kind of men who treated her like shit.
Dakota wouldn’t treat her like shit.
She put the jeans into the cart without bothering to try them on and moved toward the sandals. There sure was a lot to think about. It was about time she had a man who treated her nice. And somehow she knew she could at least trust Dakota that far. The rest of her romantic yearnings were just a stupid dream. Robyn forced a smile. Whatever happened she was going to have sex with him and enjoy it.
She studied the rows of shoes and set off down the first aisle. Dakota had told her to take her time and now she intended to take him at his word.
Dakota checked his watch for the fifteenth time and sighed. How long did it take to buy a few items of clothing? Obviously hours if you were Robyn, whatever her surname was, Smith. Perhaps he’d scared her off with his stupid idea of them getting it on. But, hell, he couldn’t lie to himself anymore. He was attracted to her. She was such an addictive mix of sex and sass that he just wanted to listen to her rant at him for ever.
He leant back against the magazine display rack. He wouldn’t mind another look at her breasts either, if he was being honest, or her long legs or her pussy. His cock stirred in his jeans. Damn it had been hard to ride the Ducati with her clinging on to him like a limpet, her hands tantalizingly close to his growing shaft.
She wouldn’t be easy that was for sure. But that kind of easy had never attracted him anyway. He’d always liked a challenge and beneath that hard shell was a vulnerability that called to his protective nature. He smiled as he saw her emerge from the crowd of shoppers, a determined look on her face. His gut stirred in anticipation. She spotted him and frowned.
‘Why didn’t you get in line?’
He walked across to her. ‘I would’ve been through three times by now, you took so long.’
‘You told me to take my time.’
‘Yeah, I did, didn’t I?’ He followed her to the shortest line and grinned down at her. He gestured at the cart. ‘So did you get what you needed?’
‘I think so.’ She gave him a haughty look, which made her seem incredibly familiar again. ‘I’ll give you the money back when we reach Los Angeles, OK?’
‘Fine by me.’ He leant over her shoulder to check out what she’d chosen. ‘Looks like you found a load of stuff.’
She didn’t reply and he felt her attention drift to their left. A group of women were whispering together and pointing at them. Dakota tried to look oblivious as his stomach clenched. God, he hoped the women weren’t rodeo fans or, even worse, those weird folk who always emailed him after the ads for Prairie Dawg Boots were in the papers. How could anyone fall in love with a picture?
The line moved forward and Dakota went to push the cart, only to find that Robyn was already moving, her hands clenched on the metal bar. Had she noticed the women looking at him? Perhaps she was jealous. He smiled at his own conceit. She’d probably truss him up and send him over if she thought they were even a little bit interested.
‘Why is this line taking so long?’
Dakota glanced at Robyn’s set face. ‘What’s up, honey?’
‘I just remembered why I should never go to Wal-Mart.’
He checked on the women in the other line. They were still whispering but none of them looked ready to risk a full-out attack. He patted Robyn’s shoulder. ‘It’s OK. It’s our turn next. I’m sure we’ll be out of here before they are.’
She lifted her chin to stare at him, surprise and suspicion at war in her brown eyes. ‘What would you know about it?’
He started unloading the cart, dumping everything in a big pile on the belt as quickly as he could. Robyn didn’t argue, she just pulled the hood of her coat over her hair and hurried to the end of the checkout. For once, everything had a price on it and, with them both bagging and Robyn paying with cash, they were soon on their way out the door.
Dakota managed the bags as Robyn led the way back to the bike. Neither of them spoke as they hastily stowed the gear in the backpack he’d brought and put on their helmets. By the time the gaggle of ladies reached the outside of the store, Dakota was already halfway out of the parking lot.
As they sped back toward Las Caldras, Dakota realized Robyn hadn’t answered his question. He grinned. She hadn’t kicked him in the nuts either, so he supposed there was still hope. The sun’s rays slid lower as they reached the outskirts of the small town, alternately blinding and blackening Dakota’s vision. He pulled up outside the deserted garage and shut off the engine.
In the sudden silence, he helped Robyn down. She took off her helmet and handed it to him. Her fuck-me smile was a revelation.
‘Thanks for taking me out.’
Dakota stared at her, slightly stunned. ‘You’re welcome.’ He unlocked the back of his trailer and wheeled the motorcycle into the stall. When he turned around, she was still standing there, still smiling at him. His heart rate doubled as she sauntered toward him and put her hand on his shoulder.
‘Thanks.’
‘You said that.’
‘I know.’
She kissed the corner of his mouth, licked the seam between his lips. With a groan, he opened his mouth, welcomed her inside, and relished the unique taste and the texture of her tongue. Her hand crept into his damp hair, keeping him close. He needed no second invitation as he gathered her into his arms and pulled her against his body.
She moaned into his mouth as the kiss became hotter and more erotic. He wanted to sink to his knees, bring her down with him and fuck her right there. The salacious thought steadied him, made him wrench his mouth away.
‘Hey, we’re supposed to be taking this slow.’
‘Dammit, Dakota! Don’t spoil it.’
She tried to kick him but he wouldn’t let her.
‘Honey, this is my problem not yours. I want you right now, here in the street.’ She tried to speak but he covered her lips with his hand. ‘If we don’t stop or go back to the motel, that’s what’s going to happen. Me on you, possibly an audience, followed swiftly by a spell behind bars for public indecency.’ He smoothed her heated cheek. ‘I’m not changing my mind. I just want to do right by you.’
She stared at him for a long while, her breathing as ragged as his own. ‘OK.’
‘OK what? I can ravish you here?’
‘Let’s finish putting the bike away, get the shopping and go back to the motel.’
He winked at her, hoped she couldn’t hear his cock complaining. ‘Let’s do that.’
Chapter Six
Before Dakota even shut the door, Robyn dumped the thin plastic bags on the first bed and ran for the bathroom. She was beginning to feel like a teenager, always seeking reassurance and refuge in the mirror. She filled the sink with tepid water and splashed it on to her dusty heat-fried cheeks.
Had those women in Wal-Mart recognized her? Would she wake up to find some sleazebag from one of the entertainment rags camped outside her door, gleefully exposing her riches-to-rags story?
She gripped the edge of the basin. Perhaps she was worrying too much. It wasn’t as if she resembled her TV persona anymore. The TV Robyn Sparrow people tended to remember was a cute kid, not a 25-year-old has-been. Sometimes even she found it hard to believe that, along with her two sisters, she’d been famous, the youngest cast member in a popular family comedy show that went on for way too many years.
God, had Dakota worked out who she was? Was that why he’d come on to her and been so keen to get her out of the store? She drained the sink, scrubbed at her face and stormed back into the bedroom. Dakota lay stretched out on the bed, his bare feet crossed at the ankle, watching TV.
He smiled at her. ‘Hey, do I get a fashion show?’
Robyn stopped. ‘What?’
‘A fashion show of you in all your new stuff, you know.’ He winked. ‘Especially the bra and panties part. I’d like to see that.’
‘You are such a . . . scumbag.’
His smile faded. ‘What the hell have I done now?’
‘I didn’t say you’d done anything.’
He brought his feet down to the floor with a decisive thump. ‘You didn’t have to.’ He placed his hands flat on his knees. ‘Is this because you’ve changed your mind again?’
‘No, it’s because of your behavior in Wal-Mart.’
‘Because I got you out of there quick? You didn’t seem to mind at the time.’ He sighed. ‘Look, I had a good reason. There’s something I should tell you.’
Robyn took a step back until she was against the door frame. Here it came, his sudden reasons for ‘wanting’ her.
‘There are some crazy fans out there who stalk me.’
She struggled to stop her jaw from hitting the floor. ‘Stalk
you
?’
He looked embarrassed. ‘Some of them are rodeo fans. Ever since they started televising the big events we’ve had an increase in the crazies. And the rest . . . Well, I appear in some cowboy-boot ads and . . .’
‘You’re in ads?’
‘Don’t sound so surprised. I only do it as a favor for my half-brother Jay who makes the boots. It’s no big deal.’ He studied his fingernails, his shoulders tense.
Robyn frowned. ‘So that’s how you afford the motorcycle.’
He half smiled up at her. ‘That was a gift, but I do earn enough to buy it for myself.’
Robyn’s lips twitched. ‘Oh my God, that’s so funny. I thought you . . .’ She let the rest of the sentence trail away, aware of his shrewd gaze on her.
‘You thought what?’
‘Nothing really.’ She clapped her hands. ‘You wanted a fashion show, right?’
He kept staring and she held his gaze. No way was she going to tell him anything until she’d digested the fact that her cowboy was a bit of a reluctant star. At the height of her fame, she’d craved media attention, needed it to get through each day. It was only later, when her problems began, that she wished she could find a way to stop the tidal wave of interest she’d helped to create.
‘New bra and panties coming right up!’
She reached for one of the bags next to him. He caught her wrist and brought it to his mouth. His teeth grazed the soft underskin and she shivered.
‘I’m not buying the innocent act, but I’m way too interested in the panties to argue with you right now.’